The Boston Uprising have released the veteran French DPS player Terence “SoOn” Tarlier due to issues with his visa. After announcing his signing in December of 2020, the process of bringing him to the United States became a complication. This news comes as a surprise to many fans, as players like SoOn could possibly play with Ping from home.
The Uprising has parted ways with @SoOn99 due to visa issues.
We were looking forward to having him on the team and wish him the best of luck moving forward.
— Boston Uprising (@BostonUprising) April 6, 2021
SoOn’s release and Boston Uprising’s visa issues
SoOn formerly played for the Los Angeles Valiant and Paris Eternal. His play on Tracer and Widowmaker is well renowned as top tier. When Paris released SoOn at the end of the 2020 season, fans weren’t sure if he’d stay in the league for 2021. When Boston announced their signing of SoOn in December, it marked a smart decision for them; a veteran player who was proven to play well against tough opposition in the United States. But, with his most recent team being Paris, he would require a visa to return to the United States.
Ever since the Overwatch League’s inaugural season, visa issues have affected players and coaches. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, these issues have only grown worse. Perhaps Boston could have waited to see if SoOn’s visa would be accepted partway through the season, but avid fans know this pattern. It was a common joke how players like Lukas “LullSiSH” Wiklund would take ages to come to the United States from Europe due to visa complications.
This leaves the Boston Uprising with less DPS depth than they had with SoOn. But, they still have a good Tracer and Widowmaker player to fill in SoOn’s role with Jin-ui “im37” Hong. He’ll have to step up his game to match SoOn’s impact. Fans will have to wait to see whether SoOn joins another team for 2021 as a player, coach or content creator.
